Document automation has helped many organisations improve their communication process, saving time and money. If you are looking for ways to add more document automation to your processes, then you’ve come to the right place. We’re sharing our top 5 document automation tips for 2022.
As a quick reminder, document automation is the process of using software and workflows to quickly create electronic documents for distribution either in print or digitally. It removes the manual tasks typically involved in creating and sending documents.
Document automation is useful for teams who frequently communicate complex, data-driven documents to their customers, employees and suppliers. Not only does it help reduce costs and save time, but it also allows teams to send documents that are accurate, secure, and, most importantly, compliant.
As a provider of document automation solutions, we’re sharing our top document automation tips you can benefit from in the year ahead.
1. Narrow your focus: start with one department
2. Build trust: improve data security and compliance
3. Think full circle: outbound and inbound communications
4. Make it multichannel: consider all communication channel preferences
5. Be green: support your organisations sustainability goals
1. Narrow your focus: start with one department
It’s ok if you feel overwhelmed by all the potential ways to use automation tools within your organisation. Our top tip would be to narrow your focus, think big but start small.
Start with one department or team. We’ve seen departments such as payroll, finance, operations and customer service achieve great success using document automation. See for yourself by reading some of the success stories. In some cases, departments have saved up to 98% of administration time spent on producing and distributing documents or made six-figure savings annually.
As with any new process, you’ll want to see what works best for you and your teams before looking to implement it at a larger scale. By focusing your efforts on one department, you’ll achieve greater results quicker, and you’ll be able to share what you’ve learnt from the experience with the rest of the organisation.
2. Build trust: improve data security and compliance
Every organisation holds sensitive and personal customer and employee data. And multiple teams will need to access this information daily to communicate effectively with your customers. All communications should be accurate and protected, whether you’re sending sensitive and personal information – such as payslips, statements and invoices – or general customer correspondence.
Document automation is a great way to improve your information security. Document automation can improve accuracy by using content control checks to ensure the right person receives the right information. It can apply rules and logic for effective quality control. For example, using rules and logic, it can automatically reject or approve invoices with zero value.
By improving the accuracy of the documents you send to your customers, you’ll build their trust while complying with regulations.
A top tip for another way to improve data security and compliance is to choose a third-party document automation provider who is ISO 27001 certified and is GDPR compliant. They should also add further security controls by tracking the documents you send at every stage, from production to distribution.
3. Think full circle: outbound and inbound communications
Closed-loop solutions have become a key component as more organisations look to improve their document automation process from start to finish.
Organisations find they’re able to comfortably transition to automating their outbound communications, benefiting from both time and cost savings on top of increased document control and transparency. Yet, they still manually handle inbound communications and hold large volumes of physical inventory onsite.
Your teams, which may now be hybrid working, need fast and secure access to incoming mail to maintain service delivery levels. Using document automation tools for both outbound and inbound mail can help you transform your manual paper process, all without capital investment, additional software to buy or extra staff.
Closed-loop document automation solutions will streamline both outbound and inbound communication processes. Plus, they will help boost productivity within your teams due to less time spent on manual, repetitive tasks and more time spent on higher-value tasks.
4. Make it multichannel: consider all communication channel preferences
In today’s digital world and competitive landscape, your customers will expect you to communicate through multiple channels: digital and physical. But for larger organisations with more traditional and legacy systems, this can be challenging.
Whilst it’s necessary to adapt to different digital delivery channels, it’s worth considering your customer profile. What channels do they use and need? If print remains in the mix, don’t discount this channel, even if only a few customers would prefer to receive printed communications. It’s important to be inclusive and consider all customer communication preferences.
Document automation solutions work with your existing systems to identify which recipients want to receive digital communications (via an online portal, email, text) or printed documents.
And this process can be made much simpler with the right document automation partner. Some third-party suppliers can provide the secure end-to-end production and distribution of documents through all communication channels. So you only need one supplier to provide all of your communication needs.
5. Be green: support your organisations sustainability goals
Many organisations are evaluating their impact on the environment and what they could do to work more sustainably, now and into the future.
There are many ways document automation can help you support your organisation’s sustainability goals. For example: Due to the improved accuracy of the communications, your organisation will produce less waste, and you’ll no longer have to reprint or resend documents that are incorrect or have been misplaced. Digital options provided through document automation means you can drastically reduce the number of documents you print.
By partnering with a sustainable document automation provider, you can be assured the impact of printing documents is offset through carbon initiatives and other more sustainable ways of working.
Therefore, not only can you improve the productivity and efficiency of your organisation, you can do so in a more sustainable way too.
We hope these document automation tips give you some food for thought on why you should start using document automation for your outbound and inbound communications. So, to recap, our top tips for using document automation are to:
1. Narrow your focus: start with one department
2. Build trust: improve data security and compliance
3. Think full circle: outbound and inbound communications
4. Make it multichannel: consider all communication channel preferences
5. Be green: support your organisations sustainability goals
Get in touch today for more information on secure, flexible, closed-loop document automation solutions. One of our document automation experts will discuss the best solutions for your needs.
